Musings/Germany 9 and final/Photos/recipe

Art said something the other day that really resonated with me. He said that the way we travel is a metaphor for the way we live our lives, as an adventure. We go where the road takes us and often it's the road less traveled. Are those clichés or what? We have had small miracles happen a lot when we live this way, and it's nice not having a firm schedule when traveling, so one can take advantage of the unexpected opportunities that appear.

My thought, before we left home, was of traveling to Munich and the surrounding areas, where they have magnificent castles. Obviously, it never happened this trip. However, today, we are taking a Rhine Cruise from Rudesheim to St Goar and will see several magnificent castles, though from afar. More to do and see the next time we're in Germany in September.

We're in Darmstadt, staying with another friend, Moritz from our Chi Gung group, Energy Arts, and his wife. Art had met Katharina before but I hadn't. Moritz is the one who came to visit us at the Klinik before we left. How did we get so lucky to have so many warm and welcoming friends here in Germany? Moritz also teaches Chi Gung, Bagua, and Tai Chi; Art went with him to class last night when we arrived, and I stayed at their house, entertaining myself, as Katharina was out for the next couple of hours. She's a psycho-therapist and an artist, both performance art and mixed-media; she has created masks for her performances and is now taking old black and white photographs and embroidering on them. (You can see her work at KathrinaSommer.de) The mosaic in the bathroom is her creation as well. Mortiz, in addition to being a teacher is also an artist, who has created structures in China, Korea, and his home town of Darmstadt, where there is a group who sponsors art in the forest. He also paints. We seems to be drawn to artistic people. Their home is filled with artist touches in every room, from stencils on walls and the toilet seat to brightly colored handles on doors. We had a wonderful time together once she got home, talking about her art and my art and lots more, just getting to know each other.

Today, we were talking with them about things to do on Sunday on our way to Dusseldorf, where we need to be Sunday night, as we fly out early on Monday for Miami. They mentioned a special cave with healing waters near Nordenau, which we wouldn't know about if we weren't visiting with them.

We just returned from a short tour of couple of places in Darmstadt with Moritz. There is the Belle Epoque area, where there is a Russian Church on Russian soil; apparently this prince's fiance, a Russian princess, would only marry on Russian soil. So, he imported the soil and built the Church. How's that for being in Love? It was incredible to see, and the whole surrounding area is filled with sculptures and another unusual building, which looks like a hand at the top (see below). There were at least 6 weddings going on in various areas of the park while we were there. Then, we walked to a private house with a public garden, called the Vortex Garden. I imagined beautiful flowers. However, what I imagined was not reality. As we walked along paths of stone, grass, or gravel, there were wonderful fountains and sculptures. Most were designed so the water was spiraling, creating a vortex.

Our first view of the Russian Church. This was the entrance way to the Belle Epoque Park.

Another view of the Russian Church.

One fountain from below looking up the stairs.

Same sculptured fountain looking down. It shows the water spiraling.

We enjoyed the Rhine cruise and meeting others on board our boat, one couple from Scotland and a grandmother with twin granddaughters, from Chicago. Below are three of the many castles we passed by. The cruise took almost two hours in one direction and 2 3/4 hours returning, due to the current, which was really fast.

We got back to our friends home in time to take a short rest and then go out for dinner at Frankenstein's Castle. The Castle itself is in ruins but really great to experience, and the view from restaurant was spectacular, especially the sunset. There is so much daylight, from 5:00AM until after 9:30PM every day. It's not like Florida, where  it gets light around 6:30AM and the sunsets have been around 8:00PM. Dinner was delicious but we didn't get to see Igor.

One view of Frankenstein's Castle with Art and our friends from Darmstadt.

The greatest artist is still Ma Nature!

The drive from Darmstadt to Nordenau was about 2 1/3 hours. We had a lovely lunch of the local fish, bought our tickets for the cave, and readied our water bottles to be filled. The fish is really local, as they were swimming in the lake near the cave before we ordered them. With each ticket, they gave you a bottle of their water, which we drank with lunch. The cave itself is lovely. They give you mats to place on chairs, as you sit in the space and quiet of the cave for almost a half hour, absorbing the wonderful energy and listening to the water fill a pool. As you sit in silence, a man fills whatever you brought with you to be filled. At the end of the half hour, he announces that it's time and everyone collected their water to take with them. We packed our bottles, as you know we couldn't take them with us on the plane. Luckily, nothing got wet on the way home.

We stayed in a nicely located small hotel in Dusseldorf, called the Batavaria. We would stay there again, and the shower stall was really small, although, we shouldn't complain, as the shower at our friends home with the mosaic design, was against the outside wall, which sloped. Even I had to bend a bit in order to use it, and I'm only 5'3". We had dinner at a Croatian Restaurant next door to our hotel, a new experience for us, as we've never before had Croatian food; it was really good.

Up at 5:30AM, and our flight home was 9 1/2 hours and uneventful, the best kind of flight! I wouldn't recommend Air Berlin, as the seats are really close and the food was awful. We flew in and out of Dusseldorf, as they were the only non-stop flights we could get using American Airline mileage points. Next time, we may fly into Berlin to sightsee before the Klinik, or go directly to Frankfurt. Believe it or not, it's cheaper to fly to Berlin, as you have to connect with the direct flight from Miami to Frankfurt; so, we would be saving money on the flights and connecting through the city we would prefer to fly to. Very confusing but true.

As it is Asparagus season in Germany, here is an easy recipe for Asparagus.

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds Asparagus

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Tarragon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Trim the asparagus by snapping of the bottom of the stalks and place in a zip-lock bag.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients
4. Close up the bag and massage the asparagus to spread the oil and seasonings throughout the bag, making sure that all the asparagus get covered by the oil.
5. Roast for 20 minutes and then stir the asparagus, and cook for another 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the stalks, longer for thicker stalks.

Of course, if you don't like tarragon, try another herb. Enjoy! 

Thank you for your time and patience reading this set of blogs. I hope you enjoyed them and found them useful either for health reasons or travel ones or for cooking.

Germany 8/Out and About + recipe

I have to preface this blog and let you know that all the photos are on my phone and I thought I sent them to email, so I could edit them and post them here. I've got some great shots. However, I have no sim card due to the error made by the phone co on our first day here. So, they couldn't be emailed, even though I could snap them. Oh well, such is life.

I wrote that I would tell you about Servas, a wonderful peace organization founded right after WW2, with the idea that it's hard to shoot someone with whom you've broken bread. If you like to travel and you like to meet the people of the country you are visiting, then this is for you. We first joined as Travelers in 1992, when we ventured to Italy. In order to join, you need to fill out a form and have a personal interview. You are allowed to stay with people for two nights; they give you breakfast both days and dinner the first night. The second night, you either cook for them or take them out to dinner. There IS the commitment to spend your evenings together, so you exchange ideas and learn about their culture and vice versa. So, if you must try the most fabulous restaurant in wherever, then you wouldn't commit to spend that night with a Servas host. You don't need to be a Host to be a Traveler. We joined only as Travelers, until we returned home from Italy, when we then joined as Hosts and have been involved ever since in both capacities.

We have had so many great, and some unusual, experiences through Servas. In the US, it is www.usservas.org. I'm not sure of the international organization's URL. 

On our last trip to Italy a couple of years ago, we stayed with one couple with whom we had stayed back in 92. How we had all changed! It was due to them that we had one of our most memorable experiences. We were staying with them in Spinea, outside of Venice; he worked in Padua. We had planned to spend the morning in Venice and then catch the train to Genoa. Instead, he offered to drive us to Padua for the morning and we could catch the same train to Genoa, only a bit later. While wandering around, and not too far from the train station where we were able to put our bags in a locker, we found a small capella, or chapel; inside were works of Giotto, the Seven Heavenly Virtues on one wall and the Seven Deadly Sins on the other. They were incredible! It was the only tourist book we bought during the trip.

We find that staying with locals adds a depth to our travel experience. We also discover the best things to see and restaurants only the locals know. Also, although there is a charge to join, and a deposit to be paid for the listings in country you will be going to, there is no cost for the stay (other than buying or making dinner for the 2nd night. So, that's Servas in a nutshell. If you have any questions, you know what to do, me or the internet.

June 8

We had a good night’s sleep in Strasbourg and decided to have breakfast/brunch down by the boat tour.  The boat trip was worth going back for; unfortunately, my photos show the reflection of passenger in front of me.

PHOTOS

After the boat tour, we head for Colmar with a stop at Mt Ste.-Odile for a look/see. Both places had been recommended by friends. Mt. Ste.-Odile was where our friend had given workshops. It was originally a monastery or convent and is high on a mountain. We arrive late afternoon and found it peaceful and beautiful. There is a church and two capels. Each has fabulous mosaics, with the smallest capel being my favorite. The space couldn’t be more than 20’ x 20’. The mosaics are rich in color and design. On one wall is St. George with the dragon. Naturally, the shots are all in Art’s camera, which we still haven’t downloaded. We wanted to really look around and were feeling tired; we decided to stay if they had a room available and they did. It was the best night’s sleep we had had and we loved the bathroom so much I wanted to transport it home with us. It wasn’t large, but the design of it was so efficient and the shower was the best we’ve used.

June 9

So, we didn’t reach Colmar until the next day. Our friend had said that Colmar was beautiful; it is the home city of Bartholdi, the creator of the Statue of Liberty, and as you enter the outskirts of Colmar, there is a copy of ours in one of the round-abouts.

We love taking the back roads when we travel, rather than the autobahns, unless we’re really in a rush. As we pass all the small towns and villages (I’m not sure what the difference is, each has it’s own steeple, and each is more beautiful than the last, at least they are all unique. Because we wanted to have a closer look at one steeple, we drove through Barr, a beautiful town. Here are a couple of photos showing buildings near where we parked to walk to the church.

PHOTOS

Here’s another photo whowing what else we got to see because of how we travel. We love eye candy!

PHOTO after Barr

We finally made it to Colmar and it IS beautiful. We both really love looking a architecture. Here’s a photo of the cathedral there.

PHOTO

We walked around a bit and found a train/tram which drove around the city. Felt that would be a good way to see quite a bit, so we went. I’m so glad we did, as while we were having lunch, I realized that I had left my wedding band and a pair of earrings in our room in Mt Ste.-Odile. We called and the jewelry was waiting for us. So, after finishing lunch, back we went. I guess their famous Unter Linden Museum is for our next trip. Best laid plans and all that!

Rather than head South again to Colmar, we were due in Tupingen, Germany, the next day, so we headed East. Luckily, we hadn’t made reservations for the night, so we were flexible. It was starting to get late to find a place, so we looked at the map and Bad Peterstal caught Art’s eye. He figured that a Bad (spa) would have accommodations. We found the Hotel Hirsch which was a real find. The beds were wonderful and dinner and breakfast there were delicious. I was disappointed that they didn’t have any roll/pretzels left as we got to breakfast a bit late; I had seen some at another table. I know I’m gluten-free but love gluten, and since it’s a choice, I sometimes make the choice to have a roll, or…..? Anyway, I mentioned to our hostess about my disappointment and said that I’d have to get to breakfast earlier next time. She told I didn’t have to be early, as they would save one for me if requested the night before. I thought that was a really clever response and the hotel got even more brownie points than it had had. BTW, their specialty is catering to animals who are traveling with their owners. So, if you don’t like dogs (didn’t see any cats), don’t go there. The hotel is situated over a beautiful stream with large rocks, so the running water made music, which we listen to in our dreams.

June 10

We arrived in Tupingen safely and were welcomed warmly by Anja and Michael. She is our friend from our Chi Gung workshops (Energyarts.com) and is an accomplished artist. He has written a number of books on crystals and healing, Michael Gienger if you want to google him.

June 11

Today has been a more or less lazy day. We did walk to the bio market, and I did prepare lunch, my smothered onion pasta; it is our big meal of today, as Anja is giving classes this evening and Michael is leaving tomorrow to give a workshop at Mt Ste.-Odile, so he has a lot to finish up.

Art gave me my first shot, since the Klinik, of mistletoe. He did a great job of it! I’m working on my beaded bracelet tonight. I can’t wait to share it with you all when it’s completed.

Here’s a simple recipe:

Salsa Cruda

This is one of my sister’s, Karen L. Cohen’s, recipes. It’s so easy and so delicious. It’s always a winner at a party. It easily doubles.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded, and minced (use less if you don’t want it

                  too hot, or add some seeds if you like it hotter. I may use

                  a dash of cayenne instead of the fresh pepper.)

1 small-medium onion, diced

a hand full of chopped cilantro, to taste

¾ teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoons ground pepper

1 7 ounce can organic corn nibs, drained

Instructions:

1.   Mix all together.

2.   Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with organic corn chips.

Germany Part 3 + recipe

Today's Wed, the 29th. They checked my vitals again this morning - weight, blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen level, plus they measured my girth. I'm sure I'll find out why soon. A bit, later, still before breakfast, Dr. Migeod did another ultrasound; apparently, I didn't have a full bladder for yesterday's and he wanted to check out the area more thoroughly. I am very impressed with the attention to detail.

At 10:00am, I went for my next hyperthermia treatment with Vit C infusion. I was back on the first machine. I forgot to mention yesterday that the Italian one is very different than the German one. Maybe, I'll take pictures tomorrow so you can see the differences. The treatment of hyperthermia lasts about 50-55 minutes, while the Vit C is only for 45 minutes. After Hyperthermia, I was scheduled to see Dr. Migeod around 11:00. He has been late the last couple of days but was here about 10:50am today. He had the rest of the blood work results, which dealt with my immune system, and the results from my urine test, which showed what my PH level was - I'm very acidic. My blood was okay for the T-cells, my killer cells and the eater cells, but am very low on the other two indicators. Can't remember the names, but one has to do with the Thymus. So, he wants to stimulate them more and is upping my dose of mistletoe, as I tolerated the first shot well. I think I'll be getting thoses twice a week. So far, all the shots have been given in the abdomen; I'm looking very polka-dotted. He increased my Vit D intake as well; I brought my own drops from home and he has increased them from 4 to 8 a day. He is starting me on echinacea also, for the immune system, as well as something more for my spleen. I'm going to have a sodium bicarbonate infusion too, tomorrow, for the acidity/alkalinity. It's amazing how much he covers with all his tests. Why don't they do this in the USA? How's that for a rhetorical question? Boy, there's a lot going on!

It looks like I've developed a bit of lymphadema in my right leg due to the large tumor in my groin. Luckily, I have enough compression stockings so I can wear them on both legs. Not fun, but it is what it is. I had had some swelling in my right ankle for a couple of weeks before we flew, and after the flight, my right leg swelled more, at least up to the knee. Since I knew that the stockings help with the movement of lymph, due to my lymphadema in my left leg, it's an easy follow up. I'll have to see if there is more I have to do once I get home, or maybe I'll see a lymphadema therapist here.

I continue to be impressed with the flexibility of the kitchen. Art had a noodle dish, with some kind of large dumpling with a meatball in the center, and sauce, and I had gluten-free noodles, with some veggies, and turkey meatballs, they made themselves, with a very light sauce. Very tasty. The large meal is at lunchtime with a smaller lighter meal at dinner time. It's almost 2:30 and I don't have any treatments scheduled for this afternoon. It's cooler today and very overcast, having rained this morning. We may take a drive or just relax, as yet, we haven't decided what to do.

More later.

It's almost 5:00pm and we just returned from France. We went to a small village, Wissembourg, only 15 minutes away. Very quaint with lots of restaurants and pastry/chocolate shops. It was raining, so we walked around for less than an hour and came back. However, it was a good stop, as we passed an orthopedic pharmacy, where they sold compression stockings and I was able to buy a couple more. There WAS a reason for going. It never occurred to me to buy more and they were less expensive than the ones I buy in the US. We want to return there when we have more time, as there are several things to see and do in and around Wissembourg.

I need to make a correction from Germany Part 2 - it's NOT the Palatine, it IS the Palatinate that is the wine country, which goes throughout Germany. Hope we get to explore some of that area too.

We ended up going out for dinner in Wissembourg with our new friends Nancy and Patrick. They leave tomorrow - boo hoo. We plan on keeping in touch.

Good Night until the next blog.

Green Bean Pate

This is a wonderful imitation chopped liver, so much more healthy. Everyone loves it when it’s served on the Holidays. I use Sami’s Bakery crackers, made of millet, brown rice and flax seed. They're on the internet samisbakery.com

Ingredients: 

½ pound Fresh green beans, ends trimmed

3 large Onions, peeled & sliced

¼ cup Vegetable broth

3  Eggs, hardcooked, using only the whites (save yellows for something else)

1 cup Walnut, almond, or brazil nut pieces

½ teaspoon Salt or to taste

½ teaspoon Pepper, coarsely ground

Assorted crackers

Cucumber slices (a delicious option)

Directions: 

1.         In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook green beans in water for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. In a medium frying pan over medium hear, sauté onions in vegetable broth for 30 minutes or until onions are well done, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

2.         In a food processor, place beans, onions, egg whites, nuts, Salt and pepper. Whirl until a pate-like consistency is reached. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with assorted crackers or cucumber slices.

Yields 2 cups.

Recipe from Patsy Rasmussen, a really good friend who lived in Santa Fe, Panama, and now is back in the States.

July's Travel/Wedding Goddess Pin

I finally got my July Goddess Pin scanned, although it's not the best scan I've ever done. She is too round to lay the way I wanted her to, with the central beads actually going down her center, from her waist down. Try to picture her that way. She has a lot of significance for my July, a real journaling piece.

I had actually finished her near the end of July, but we were in Europe and I couldn't find the time nor the place to have her scanned.

I picked the fabric due to the colors I wanted to use, red, white, blue, and green. First the red, white & blue for our 4th of July celebration, and those same colors for the few days we were in France. I used the countries' flag colors. The beginning of our European trip was in Switzerland for some sightseeing and a wedding, hence the red & white. Most of our trip was spent in Italy, therefore the red, white, & green.

Starting with her hair, I used the red flowers as there was an abundance of red flowers in window boxes throughout Switzerland, France, and Italy, and not just in flower boxes. I picked up the white stone I used for her face in Yvoire, France. I'm not sure you can tell, but when I picked it up I saw a face, the nose and two eyes (a bit darker on either side of the nose); she has her face turned slightly to her left. The piece of chain of pearls was left over from the necklace I made for the mother of the bride, one of our very dear friends. I used a heart as I love to travel. Amongst the line of beads from her waist down, there is a big square blue bead; that was a gift from one of the Servas hosts we stayed with who is also a beader. (See more about Servas after the rest of the description of my European/Wedding Travel Goddess.) Towards her bottom, there is a metal piece with a red stone, keeping with my colors. I found this single earring at a flea market in Panzano-in-Chianti, Italy, not far from where we were staying. I think it's the perfect piece to complete her.

Our trip continued into August, so you will see more of my travels soon.

Now to Servas. This is a wonderful organization. Here, in the States, it is US Servas. It a totally international organization started after WWII, as a peace organization, using the concept that one is unlikely to make war with people you break bread.  Once a member, you can stay with people for two nights, where they give you breakfast both mornings and dinner one night. You either take them out for dinner the second night or cook dinner at their home. I love to cook, so I tend to do that. You meet the most interesting people, who also may have time to take you around, or they may not, but they certainly will make suggestions of things to see and do. Some of the highlights of our trips have been because we stayed with Servas Hosts and they suggested we do something we hadn't planned on. After our first trip staying with Servas, we came home and signed up as Hosts. You don't have to be a host in order to be a traveler; there is no commitment to have people in your home. I can only tell you that we have had some really interesting folks stay with us over the years. If it's not convenient for them to stay with you, you can always say no when you receive a request. We usually stay with hosts about half the time we're traveling. If you love to travel, it's a great way to go!

2nd Europe Entry & Easy Recipe

The days are so full and the evenings short, as we’ve been eating at 8:30 or 9pm, rather late for us. Lunches have been around 2:30 or 3:00 due to sightseeing and traveling. All is good. However, after a late dinner, I’m not up to blogging, so I keep putting it off.

We loved St. Paul de Vence in the mountains above Nice. It’s another medieval city, with all up and down pedestrian streets. We’ve been getting a real workout. We Floridians prefer flat terrains. Oh well, I guess it’s nice for a change. We liked St. Paul even more than Eze. Each has its own flavor and both are charming, but St. Paul had a whole plethora of art galleries with tons of bronzes, each shop showing totally different works, as well as other interesting art. That’s only one of the reasons for our preference.

Our next stop was Cinque Terre, a group of five medieval towns, south of Genoa, nestled into cliffs that go right down to the water. So, we were finally in Italy and were lucky in that the weather was beautiful and the sea relatively calm; so, we were able to travel to the towns by boat. Friends, who were at the wedding, had been to Cinque Terre before joining us in Switzerland, and couldn’t go by boat, due to rough seas; they traveled by train, short hops between the towns. It was great being out on the water. I had thought that we’d ride the train too, on the way back, but the timing was good for boat rides, so that’s what we opted for. It was so picturesque arriving by sea, seeing the buildings getting bigger and bigger with more details visible with each passing moment. Each town was so different as we approached. We took the boat to the furthest town, Riomaggiore and got off there. After walking the town and finding some natural suntan lotion, I had left mine in our room and I really needed some, we walked between  Riomaggiore and Manarola, the next town, along the cliffside on a walk called Via dell’ Amore, Lover's Lane. Going onward to the next town after exploring Manarola and having lunch, we took the ferry to the next town and thereafter.

We stayed near Bonassola, about 10 minutes from Levanto where we caught the ferry, only two nights and then went on to Lucca, the northern part of Tuscany. We loved Lucca, which has a walled medieval city, all on flat ground. Our kind of town. Yeah! We didn’t get the chance to explore as much as we wanted to, as part of our time was taken up working on our communications, phone and internet. We’ve decided to go back so we can browse around some more. That evening, we went to a concert at the greenhouse in the Botanical Gardens within the walled city. The singer sang in English and talked in Italian between songs; it was a bit strange but wonderful. We decided to stay in Lucca so we could get to Greve-in-Chianti, near where we are staying, for the Saturday market which was only open until 1PM. However, plans changed, as Lucca had an organic farmer’s market; so we stayed and went there instead, arriving in Montefiorella closer to 5pm than 1pm. We’re in a charming little one bedroom villa, attached to the owner’s home, a young family with a two year son. Lovely, warm, welcoming people; Simone’s father gave us gifts of small bottle of home made olive oil and gorgeous delicious tomatoes. We are smack in the middle of Tuscany, amongst olive trees and vineyards. I will be downloading my photos soon and hope to post a few so you can share the eye candy we’ve been enjoying.

Today we went to Panzano-in-Chianti, about 9 minutes away, for their farmer’s market, as I still wanted a few items. The produce is gorgeous and delicious. It's another delightful town and has a small triangular town square, where the market was held; the older part of the city is up a steep hill.

We are having difficulties with our internet connections and phones, so we’re off to Sienna tomorrow, Monday, to take care of it all. We don’t have internet service here at the villa, but we had bought an internet key, which was suppose fix that. It hasn’t. Hopefully, by tomorrow night, we will be set with communications the way we want them. Sienna was on our list of places to go, so it’s now first on that list. We plan an early start so we can sightsee too, as it’s an important medieval city to visit.

Did I mention all the wine and olive oil tasting places in each village or town, and in between them as well? I’m olive oiled out. We bought a bottle for cooking, a plain but fruity one for salads, and one with truffles in it for salads as well. All delicious. We could spend a fortune on olive oils! Art has enjoyed all the wine tastings. I’ve had a bit too. 

A fast recipe, originally from Denise, my dear friend (actually from her daughter-in-law, but I got it from Denise). It's perfect here in Italy with all the wonderful olives.

Olive Tapenade

1 jar Kalamata olives (always use good olives)

2-3 cloves garlic (or more to taste)

Olive oil

Put the olives and garlic in a food processor and as you're blending them, slowly add a bit of olive oil to smooth out the mixture. 

It's easy and delicious. I serve it with both gluten-free crackers and with veggies.

The Big Island + Curried Vegetable Soup

Monday morning we had an early flight to Hilo, Hawaii, the big island. I haven't quite figured out why they call all the islands Hawaii and that's also the name of one of the islands, not even the capital, which is on Oahu, another of the islands.

I had made our flight plans before figuring out where we were going to stay. It would have been closer to our place if we'd flown into Kona, on the other side of the island from Hilo. Oh well. Our drive to Hawi, where we're staying was lovely, although it took a bit over two hours to get here. I guess it easy to say that it's the journey, not necessarily the destination, that's important. I again found a studio cottage on an organic farm, called Lokahi Garden Sanctuary. The grounds are beautiful and there are grapefruit and Meyer lemon trees outside our door. Their garden is incredible. I had no idea how kale or collards grew; the plants are beautiful. They're also growing edible flowers and lots of other veggies and spices, including tumeric, basil, mint, and lemon grass. They have a whole load of chickens, free-range, so they sell eggs as well. No roosters, so no crowing in the early AM, a good thing. I didn't get to see their sheep, as they keep them well away from their garden, in a far part of their 10 acres.

While there,  I was still having ear problems. The acupuncturist I saw, suggest no raw salads and to use Indian spices, such as cumin, coriander, and tumeric, which are warming. I had those spices with me. This was the result of that suggestion.

Curried Vegetable Soup Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot or 2 smaller ones, diced

2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thickly, so the pieces can be removed from pot when finished cooking

Lemon Grass, optional

1 tablespoon Cumin

1 tablespoon Coriander

1 tablespoon Tumeric

1 tablespoon Bragg’s amino acids

1 quart organic vegetable broth

1 15-ounce can organic Coconut Milk

½ bunch Dino Kale, sliced crosswise

½ bunch Collards, stems removed and sliced crosswise

1 large or 2 small Baby Bok Choy, sliced crosswise

½ bag of Kelp Noodles (or you can use rice noodles), well rinsed and cut into 3 inch lengths

Instructions

1. Have all of the vegetables cut and ready to put into the pot.
2. Put oil into a large pot and add onions. Saute until they start to brown.
3. Add the carrots and seasonings, including Braggs, and stir. Cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the vegetable broth and coconut milk and stir well.
5. Add the greens and cook for 15 minutes
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning
7. Add the kelp noodles for 5 minutes more, stir well.

This can be served immediately or left to sit a while before reheating. It’s even better the second day, if any is left over.

Our first night in Hawi, we had dinner at a restaurant called Sushi Rock; I was totally off my diet and had a fabulous dinner; the owner/manager, Peter, is from New York, LA, and now Hawi for the last 20 years. My favorite was a roll called Tropical Treat - ahi, seasonal fruit (Mango), mac-nuts, & cucumber.We highly recommend this place for its ambience as well as the food, a real treat. ............................. ..........
Yesterday, we walked around Hawi, a small and charming town with some excellent restaurants, several galleries, and a bead store. I bought a small carved turtle for my April BJP goddess pin; look for the turtle slightly under her hula skirt.  Finally finished it and here it is:

The scan isn't the best, so I'll redo it when we get home. The owner of the bead store on Maui showed me how to make the hula skirt.

Hawi resonates for both of us.We liked Hana but it's too remote, however Hawi is a place we could return to and spend some time.

That evening, we drove down to listen to John Keawe, a native Hawaiian and local celebrity, who was playing from six to seven at the King Shops, close to Kona. We enjoyed his music enough to buy a couple of his albums; it's been great driving around listening to him play and sing.

We're now on the southeastern part of the big island, down in Kehae, in the Puna district. We're in a 1-bedroom cottage, and our hosts, Mark and Richard are terrific! We spent last evening at the Kilauea Iki Crater in the Hawaiian Volcano National Park. We saw the most beautiful sunset of our trip, and it was even more special as it had been totally overcast and rainy for the whole afternoon until about a half hour before sunset. Thank you Mother Nature.

Our trip to Hana + recipe

Thursday, the day before we left for Hana, after visiting the new offices of Energy Arts, Bruce's, our Chi Gung teacher's, business, we drove around the north-west part of Maui. It's a drive that takes at least two hours, as there are lots of windy roads and beautiful scenery, much of it the Pacific and bays. Bruce moved his whole operation and his home to Maui, a place he's been visiting for twenty years and obviously loves. A bit after stopping by the offices, Mountain called us and invited us to dinner. He and his wife, Jen, were having a few friends over, all involved with Energy Arts. It was a lovely evening in spite of my not really being able to hear the conversations, except for whomever was seated next to me. I'm still dealing with my ears. Today, Saturday, I had a small breakthrough, as my right ear popped a bit, so I'm hearing a little better with that one but still am completely clogged with the left; so, I'm headed in the right direction, although slowly, very slowly.

We decided to spend the night in Hana instead of going there and back in one day. We left our condo relatively early on Friday, as Paia is about 30 minutes from where we're staying, and Hana is a two hour trip, with no stops, from Paia. We stopped at Mana Market in Paia to see if anything appealed to us. I had already cut up a salad and brought along some goat cheese and crackers for lunch. At Mana's, I found an eggless egg salad made with macadamia nuts to help fill out our lunch menu.

I looked online and found this recipe which sounds like it could be the one we had. I'll try it at some point and let you know how I liked it. If you try it, please let me know the results!

INGREDIENTS

Thanks to RAWvolution cookbook
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt or sea salt
1 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts
2 or 3 scallions
2 or 3 stalks of celery
1/2 bell pepper (any color – I used red)

1. First, chop the scallions, celery, and bell pepper until you have at least a cup of chopped veggies.

2. Then, blend the water, lemon juice, turmeric, garlic, salt and nuts until smooth.

3. When this nut blend is done, it looks a lot like the inside of a deviled egg. Pour this mixture over the chopped vegetables.

4. Stir well. Done. The whole process takes less than half an hour, including chopping time. The final product looks very much like egg salad.

This eggless egg salad is shown here on cut pieces of Ezekiel bread with a sprinkling of paprika. It’s delicious and fun to eat like this, but it’s also good on celery or lettuce leaves. My guests last week liked it plain, and ate it with a fork from a bowl like potato salad. Anyway, no matter how you eat it, it’s quite filling, so even though macadamia nuts are currently one of the more expensive nuts, it’s worth it because this recipe will go a long way.

We started the trip to Hana, knowing that it would take us about 4 to 5 hours to get there. The road trip passes many waterfalls, State Parks, bays, and stands of one sort or another, many selling fresh vegetables and banana bread. It also is an extremely curving road with many one lane bridges. Art loves to drive curvy roads as he learned to drive while in college in KY; hairpin curves are a favorite, and we got to experience several of those, of course in each direction. The pace was slow, which was perfect, so one can stop to admire the scenery. We had purchased a tape, which included a map of the road to Hana. The tape has songs/music in between each piece of information about each suggested stop. It was very entertaining, informative, and fun to listen to. 

One of our favorite stops was half way to Hana. We drove down a narrow road to the small town, only a few buildings but included a ball field. FYI, there were great public bathrooms there. They had stands selling banana bread, a big item here, and mango bread. Art opted for the mango bread for breakfast. The scenery was spectacular, wonderful lava rocks on the waters edge with fabulous wave action, almost like blow holes, as wave after wave hit the rocks and spewed up many feet into the air. Art took lots of photos but hasn't downloaded any of them yet.


We arrived in Hana after about 4 1/2 hours of driving and stopping. Online, I had found a studio in the Hana Maui Botanical Gardens. The grounds were beautiful;  the studio was named the Marine Studio and was decorated with a marine motif. What a surprise? It was more than adequate, as it had a lovely kitchen space. However, they had a leak in the toilet, which we couldn't fix. So, every time we went to use the bathroom, we got wet feet. I get up 2 to 3 times during the night, and it was very uncomfortable having wet feet. I left a towel outside the bathroom, so I could dry them before going back to bed, but.....


After we settled in, we drove over to the Seven Sacred Pools, even though we weren't going to go to them then, just so we'd know where we were going the next morning. It was a lovely drive, with more beautiful waterfalls along the way. The next morning, after Art had his mango bread and me my green shake, we headed off again, driving around Hana, going down to the bay and some side streets, exploring; then onward. Once there, we changed into bathing suits and walked to the pools. They're on several levels, mainly surrounded by lava rocks, supplied with water from waterfalls. We climbed over the rocks, transversed one of the pools by walking through the water, to get to the one closest to the waterfalls. Art swam over to the falls, but I was still nursing my ears and didn't want to get any water in either. So, I dunked and walked in the water a bit, and sat on the lava rocks and talked to other swimmers, some tourists and some natives. It was so peaceful there. Great energy.


After our water play, we had a picnic lunch on the grounds. They had some picnic tables in various places, all in the shade. Really thoughtful of them. By the time we finished lunch and got changed into our clothes, it was almost three PM. Time to start back to Kihei. Again, we stopped at waterfalls we had missed on the way down, including a place called Twin Falls. Love those waterfalls! We stopped in Paia to have a bite of dinner, and then went back to our condo. It had been a great trip. A must do if you ever visit Maui.

Still Maui + Recipe

We've been in Maui for several days now. It's a lusciously green island with much tropical flora, most of which I'm familiar, but not all. Have you ever heard of an apple banana? I hadn't. I haven't tasted one, but I'm told that it's hard to go back to the typical bananas after eating one.

Both of us are still under the weather, so we've been taking it slow and easy with the sightseeing. On Friday, we were getting our sea legs, so to speak. We had lunch at a nice restaurant and then walked on the beach nearby. The beach was beautiful fine sand, with large black lava rocks dotting it. We walked above the water line in one direction and then along the water's edge/in the water on the way back. We stopped at a small health food store in Kihei, near where we're staying, to see what they had. Not a bad selection at all for so small a place.

Saturday had us up relatively early and out by 7:45am. We had contact a friend of a friend and he sold his produce, avocados, flowers, and eggs, at this Farmer's Market. I described Art, beard, moustache, pony tail, glasses, and a hat; Craig said, "That's me." So, he was easy to find and it was a small market but the produce was nice. We hope to get together with Craig again. After we left the market, we went to visit the Surfing Goat Dairy, where they make goat cheese and truffles stuffed with goat cheese. It was a fun place to be and the "kids" were adorable. They loved to be petted. The actual location was decorated with surf boards, whole ones and some in half, which were used at the end of each parking space. It was so colorful. We went to the tasting they had, and their cheeses were delicious and unusual. One was flavored with horseradish and another with sun-dried tomatoes, while another had key lime juice in it. Unfortunately, none were raw, as it's not legal in Hawaii to have unpasturized cheeses. Next we were going to go to the Lavender Farm and then their one Winery. However, we decided not to do either and we turned around and headed for Paia for lunch. Paia is on the east coast and on the road to Hana; it is an old Plantation town, very charming. After a lunch of grilled harpooned swordfish, we walked around the town. They have a great health food store, called Mana. We do spend a lot of time shopping for food, but it's not all about food; it's about enjoying life and food is an important part of that enjoyment.

On Sunday, we drove to Lahaina, as they had a craft's fair in the town square, where their famous banyon tree is located. It was nice but not great; the jewelry artists were disappointing and there weren't any potters. Lahaina was the first capital of Hawaii. The architecture is charming and it was fun to walk around and window shop. I almost bought a t-shirt colored with the red dirt they have; they were called red dirt t-shirts; however, it wasn't comfortable, very stiff, and too long, with a tight neckline. Oh well.

On Monday, Art decided that he really needed to be checked by a doctor, as he wasn't feeling better but worse. I thought my seeing another doc was a good idea too, as I was almost finished with my antibiotic and I still felt like I was under water. Luckily, Art doesn't have strep and with the prescription he got, he's feeling much better today.

On the other hand, turns out I'm not so smart. You know how when your ears are clogged it usually works to hold your nose and blow; so, that's what I've been doing daily. However, since both eardrums had been ruptured, by holding my nose and blowing I was continuing to keep the perforations open and not letting them heal. Clever, huh? Anyway, I now have three new medicines and my hearing should improve within the next few days. I have my fingers crossed.

Today, we went on a Whale Watching Tour. It was wonderful. We followed a calf, mother, and escort (a male whale, not usually the father) for about 45 minutes. The calf kept pounding his fluke (tail) on the water, and the mother and escort were following him as he moved around. Then, we went on and saw several other whales. This is the end of the whale season; most have left already for Alaska but there are still many who are gearing up and teaching their calves what to do during the migration north. Apparently, Maui is a favorite birthing place of the humpback whales. Lucky us. There are loads more around during January through March. By the middle of May, they'll all be gone for this year, only to return next.

So, we've been doing a little each day and enjoying it all.

As for a recipe, one night I made this dish:

Squash and Greens

We were in a condo in Kihei, HI, and I wanted to make an easy dinner. I had been able to go to the Whole Foods in Kahului from the airport before driving to Kihei and our condo. A few of the supplies I had picked up were a Kabosha squash, Maui onions, and a head of tatsoi, a wonderful green I had been using in salads at home. I’d also bought a few spices and coconut milk, so I was ready to go.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 onion

½ of a kabocha squash, cut into chunks

1 head tatsoi, cleaned and cut into pieces (or other greens such as collards, mustard greens, or kale)

2 tablespoons olive oilsquash

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 can organic coconut milk

Instructions

1.  Peel the onion, cut it in half, and then slice each half

2.  Put the olive oil in a medium to large sauce pan and add the onions. Saute for about 10 minutes until they start to brown.

3.  Add the squash and all the seasonings. Mix well.

4. Add the coconut milk, stir, and cover the pan.

5.  Cook on a medium heat for about 15 minutes.

6.  Stir and then add the tatsoi or other greens and stir again.

7.  Cook for 10 minutes. Stir and taste. Adjust seasonings as needed.

8.  Can be served over quinoa or brown rice.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Finally MAUI + recipe

Tomorrow morning early, we're finally leaving LA for Maui. We were suppose to leave on Monday morning, but last week I developed laryngitis and had no voice for three days - no pain at that time but it all developed over the next few days, sore throat, pain in both ears, drippy nose, and cough. On Sunday, we were having a few friends of Brian's over for brunch. We've been staying with our kids, Brian and Grace, who have been wonderfully supportive. I'was concerned that we had overstayed our welcome, but we were assured we hadn't. Unfortunately, Grace has developed some of the same symptoms.

It's now Friday. Brian also started to develop some symptoms before we had left. Grace had the great intelligence to go see her doctor immediately for an antibiotic, so by yesterday she was feeling a bit better if not 100%. Hopefully Brian will too. It was so wonderful staying with them. Art is feeling under the weather too. I haven't been good to those I love.

MAUI, we're here. We had to get up around 5am yesterday to get the car back and be two hours early for our flight. We had a quick bite at the airport. I had called American a couple of days before to see if they were serving any food. l was told they were and I ordered a Vegan meal, closest to what I usually do. However, once on board, we were told that they would have snacks for sale. I hadn't brought any food as I had ordered some, so it was a bit difficult. The airlines are really something these days - what a a difference from when we traveled in the 70s: free baggage, pillows and blankets in coach, meals served and could be ordered, to name just a few changes. I love to travel, so I need to just accept the changes, which I do. I usually bring my own meals with me, but due to the misinformation, I hadn't this time. It was very disappointing.

We arrived safely with only a somewhat bumpy ride to remember. Any safe arrival is a good trip! My ears were fine but are still clogggd. Hopefully, they'll both clear by the next flight on the 18th. Our first stop after picking up our car was a Whole Foods, directly across the street from the car rental. We were both tired, so it was a short shopping, just stuff for breakfast and lunch for the next day/days.

Our rental condo is cute, a one bedroom with full kitchen. However, I went to make my morning green shake, had all the ingredients in the blender, and the blender didn't work!!! Luckily, there was a couple across the way who were sitting on their balcony. I walked over with my unblended shake and was able to use theirs. I called my contact for the condo, and we should have a new blender by this afternoon.  Since I use it almost every day, this is a very good thing.

We have a few people to contact, friends of friends and also our Chi Gung Teacher, Bruce K. Frantzis has recently moved here. I hope we get to see them all. We're also looking forward to seeing some of the people who work with Bruce who also moved.

There is so much to see and do on Maui. Since we want to relax a bit and recuperate, we'll need to pace ourselves.

I'm reading a really good book, the third in a trilogy, Sunrunner's Fire, by Melanie Rawn. I really like her fantasy novels, which include dragons and a type of magic. I brought beading with me. When I complete my April BJP (Bead Journal Project) I will post it here for you to see. The shape has to be the same for for each month. I chose a goddess doll pin, and she's small. I've really been enjoying creating them. Here's January's doll, just to give you an idea of what I'm doing:

A fast recipe:

We had roasted veggies at Brian's one night, served over quinoa.

The Quinoa -

Brian added grated lemon and orange rind, some mint and cilantro, and a touch of olive oil, sea salt and fresh pepper, all after the quinoa was cooked. (A 1-2 combination of quinoa to water). It was delicious.

The veggies -

whatever amounts you choose

brussel sprouts

sun chokes (I'd never used them before and can't imagine why not)

onion

fennel

carrots

fresh garlic cloves

touch of olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and basil

Roasted at 425 for 1/2 hour.

So, that's it for now. Hope you are all enjoying your day whatever you are doing.

Life's an Adventure 2011 with a couple of recipes

Okay, so I haven't exactly kept up with my blogging, but I'm determined that will change, starting now.

I have a three month window before my next CAT Scan is due. It's not easy living in three month increments, but that's the way it is for right now. Luckily, we can take advantage of the time for travel, one of my favorite things, and it nurtures me. I had another surgery this past October and I've healed well, but it has taken more out me than the previous ones did. My stamina is not as great as it had been and will be again, so I find that I need to rest most afternoons. This trip to Hawaii will provide that. We're renting condos or small cottages on the different islands, where we can take our time with sightseeing and still get plenty of rest. That's the premise for this trip, as verses our one to New Zealand last year, where we were always on the go, two nights in one place and three or just one in another. Not this time.

03/24/11 I'm in San Francisco at the moment, ensconced in a warm bed (cool outside of it) in a wonderful craftsman type house on Mississippi St in the Potrero section of the city. I love being a member of both ATC (Affordable Travel Club) and USServas, two organizations which enable us to do this at a low or no cost. We've been a member of USServas since the early 90s, when we traveled to Italy. We came home from that trip and signed up as hosts; so, we're both hosts and travelers, but you don't have to be one in order to be the other in Servas. As a member of ATC, you need to be both; however you can say "no" to a request if the timing isn't good for you. We've met people from around the world who have stayed with us and vice versa. I have lots of those stories I could share, but that's for another time.

Going back to 03/22/11 -
I flew into San Francisco on Virgin America to meet up with Art, my husband, who had already been there for five days for a workshop with our Chi Gung teacher, Bruce Frantzis. Art had a hiatus of 3 nights before his next weekend workshop. I really like Virgin America. Not only do they fly out of Ft. Lauderdale instead of the madhouse of Miami, but the seats have more leg room and the rates are usually really good for flying to the west coast. We've flown them a few times and it's always been a pleasure.

However, I bought my own dinner, as my diet has remained restricted, self-restricted. My doctor told me that I should continue doing what I'm doing, as it's working. Yes, I've had four surgeries, but they have all been for localized and encapsulated tumors. The type of cancer I had is called MMMT (malignant mixed mullerian tumor) or carsinosarcoma. By any name, it's not pretty - it's a rare and aggressive type. My doctor told me, at my last visit, that with this type of cancer, the prognosis is one to two years; my original diagnosis was over three years ago and I'm still here! So, yes I have a self-imposed diet that isn't always easy when we eat out at restaurants or friends' homes, but it seems to be working for me. We're all individuals and as such each case is so totally different.

For this dinner, I made myself a delicious big salad of mixed greens, shredded carrot, jicama, clover sprouts, cucumber, radish, a hard boiled organic egg, and some home make roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, with a dressing I've recently worked on. Here is the dressing recipe:

Yummy Dressing for 3 - 4
1/4 cup Flax Seed Oil
1/4 cup fresh Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Bragg's Amino Acids
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon Umboshe Plum Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Agave
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Any other herbs can be added. I've used Greek Seasoning Blend (The Spice Hunter), and at another time fresh basil or oregano.
Mix all together and serve. It keeps for several days in the refrigerator.

I arrived after 11:30PM and we stayed at the Hotel Whitcomb, an older hotel, nicely located with a very comfortable bed. Of course, by the time we got into the bed, it was after 4:00AM Florida time and I was exhausted. Not a good thing but easily remedied with sleep.

03/23/11 -
We slept late, had brunch at the hotel, and then walked to a Farmer's Market close to the hotel. We had stopped to buy an umbrella first, as it was drizzling and looked as though it would get worse, which it did. The market was small but nice. I bought some veggies for my morning shakes for the next couple of days and discovered a new fruit, Shingli, something like a Chinese Pear but a bit sweeter, We had a taste each but didn't buy any then. Hopefully, we'll see them again. Always great to find something new.
After the market, we went to the Asian Museum right near by, and saw their Bali exhibit. By that time, I was feeling tired again, so we headed off to our ATC host's home. Once there, we both took a nap. Art had had a vigorous several days at the workshop, not to mention the time we went to sleep the night before, so he was a bit tired too. Out host recommended a local organic restaurant called Aperto. The food was delicious; I had the plank-roasted salmon with steamed greens, delish, and Art had one of their specials, a Quail dish. I can't believe all the restaurants near our host's home, many of them either vegetarian, vegan, and/or organic. There's even a Japanese organic one. Why can't we have more vegetarian, vegan, and organic restaurants in our area of SE Florida? Why???????

03/24/11
I made myself a vegetable smoothy for breakfast. Jo, our host, made breakfast for Art, as that's part of the ATC deal - accommodations and breakfast for $20.00/night. Not bad. My Shake:

Green Breakfast Shake for 1
12 ounces filtered water
1 teaspoon phION Super Greens (or any powdered greens)
1 gourmet cucumber, cut into large chunks (you can use just part of a larger cucumber)
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
bunch of sprouts
1/2 avocado
some sort of greens - bok choy, collards, dino kale, and spinach are greens that I've used alone or in combinations - whatever you have on hand
Put all in a blender and blend. Chew your shake as you drink it.

A bit after breakfast, we ran a few mundane errands, such as dropping Art's dirty clothes off at a local laundromat and a stop at Whole Foods for filtered and alkaline water. Then we headed off for lunch (I know it sounds as though we ate lunch directly after breakfast, but it was a good 3-4 hours later) to Yank Sing, the best gourmet Dim Sum restaurant I've even been to in the States. I've had better but only in China. They are a bit expensive but well worth  the splurge, especially since I was almost totally off my diet. I didn't have pork, beef, or dairy, but lots of wheat in the dim sum skins and a bit of sugar in some of the sauces. Taking a break from restrictiveness for a special meal is all part of the plan.

After lunch we went to the CA Academy of Sciences. It was wonderful. I think it's mainly for kids, but aren't we all kids at heart. It had a rainforest inside a huge bubble and you walked to the top on a spiral stairway abound the perimeter. Butterflies and birds flew freely. As a matter of fact, they checked you for errant butterflies before you were able to leave the enclosure. Then we toured their aquarium showing both the local and foreign coral reef eco-systems. The museum closed at 5:00PM and we went back to our host's home for a late rest before dinner.

Dinner was great at Herbavore on Valencia St, not too far from where we were. They were so accommodating it was wonderful. I ended up have a vegan grilled vegetable basil pesto pasta using rice noodles. I'm hoping to get the recipe, although I was told they didn't give them out, and I'll add it to the cookbook. Yummy, yum, yum!!!

03/25/11
I'm sitting in the San Francisco airport, waiting for my flight to Los Angeles and the kids. Art left for his workshop which will start around 6:30Pm tonight and go through Sunday evening. It's been a nice day so far. More or less leisurely breakfast and we met a friend and her 8 month old son at his swimming lesson, called Le petit baleen, the little whale. He loves the water and it was such fun seeing Dorothy and Evan. Another friend from our Chi Gung group who is doing the weekend workshop too, is out staying with Dorothy. Once Dorothy and Evan had to go home for lunch and a nap, we drove Craig to pick up his rental car and then we three went to lunch. Again, to a vegetarian restaurant near our original hotel. We had seen this place on our way back after the Farmer's Market but hadn't been hungry. I had hoped we'd have time to try it and it's funny how things work out. Craig's car rental place was only about 3 or 4 blocks from the restaurant. So, we had a lovely walk over. I had steamed veggies (perfectly done) over brown rice with a tahini lemon sauce. I hope to get that recipe as well. It was light and lovely.

So, this brings me up to date. See you soon.

March 7-9

Once again several days have passed, and we’re now sitting in Fiji Airport, at 8PM on the 9^th, waiting for our connection to LA and then Miami, where we will arrive at almost midnight on the 9^th. We’ll have traveled over 31 hours in total, from when we left this AM for the airport in Auckland.  It will be good to be home with memories of such a magical trip.

March 7

We were up early again as we had a lot of territory to cover on this our next to last day before traveling home.

Our first stop was at Cape Reinga, an amazing spot. It’s the only point I know of where two oceans meet, The Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. We have pictures showing waves coming from two different directions meeting and crashing against each other. Wow!!! The walkway you followed was lovely to walk, with signs explaining about how the Maoris view this place. They believe that it’s where their spirits go before going beyond. The flora is different and a bit stunted due to all the salt water. There’s a lighthouse at the point which isn’t very tall in relationship to others we’ve seen, but on this point, it doesn’t need to be, as its light can be seen for miles around.

Once we returned to the starting point, there were a few Maoris asking/selling the planting of about five different types of plants, to help keep the soil from eroding and some had fruit for the birds to eat. It was a package deal of the plant you chose actually planted, a postcard of Cape Reinga, a card with the exact longitude and latitude of your plant, and a pen, all for 20.00 NZ, about 15.00 US. So, after planting the plant we went to our car and found a flat tire. One of the Maori men helped us change to the spare, a donut type thing. It was on Sunday, mid afternoon, and no place was open by the time we could get down to them to fix it, so we had to deal with that tire until Monday. Luckily not a big deal.

Given that, we still went exploring. We stopped at Spirit Bay where we had a picnic lunch. It was a beautiful bay with a gorgeous beach; I found some treasures for my bead embroidery.

On the way down the Cape, we also took a road which lead to the starting point of the Ninety Mile Beach tours, which drive along the sand dunes. It wasn’t at the beginning of the dunes, as you could see sand in both directions for as far as you could see. Quite impressive!

Our drive down to the Ferry across the Hokianga was a very pleasant one. The ferry holds up to about 27 vehicles and takes about 15 minutes to cross. On the crossing, we were parked next to a couple from Montana. Good conversation – this was their third trip to New Zealand.

The views on the road down to Kaihu, where we were staying for the night, were beautiful. Such eye candy all over the place, from the gorgeous water views to the peaceful pastoral ones. It just never stops. No internet at that stopover.

March 8

WE had driven past the Waipou Forrest the night before. Our original plan had been to stop there on our way south for the night, but due to the flat tire, we didn’t arrive at our destination until close to 8PM, so we hadn’t had time to stop to see the Kauri trees. Our goal was to see Tane Mahuta, considered the granddaddy of the Kauri trees there. Talk about massive. In the parking lot, we met a young Israeli man whose camera had broken and had wanted a photo of himself in front of Tane Mahuta. So, now we have to email him the photos we took of them.

Another stop in the forest was at the Four Sisters, four Kauri trees whose bases have grown together but whose trunks are separate. We walked all around them, as it started to rain.

After going north, we then had to go south to have the tire fixed in Dargaville. It was a nice town and it didn’t take as long as I had thought it would to fix the flat, which was due to a nail we had hit.

By that time, it was around 2pm and we wanted to go to Gulf Harbour to see the marina there; it’s a 1000 slip marina. Immense!!!!!!!!

Finally, we arrived back where we had started, with Meryl and Michael, our ATC hosts in Northcote, just north of Auckland. We went out for dinner in Takapuna, about 8 minutes away. The restaurant we tried had a special on Mondays all day, a kilo of mussels done is one of five ways. So, we had one order of mussels and one order of a lamb shank, last chance for NZ lamb. Both were delicious.

March 9

So, today. We had packed last night for the most part, but still needed to tweak it a bit. I travel with my own packer, who is amazing – great spatial vision. We were up early to finish up and then left after breakfast by 9AM, as the airline required that we arrive three hours in advance. We’ve been traveling ever since and still have hours to go. At least this leg is at night, about 11 hours, so we should be able to sleep.

See you soon. We’ll talk.